Introducing our Specialist Team
Mrs Kathleen Matthews - Music
- Is a conservatorium trained classical trombonist (solo) but prefers to play as part of a team in Brass Bands
- Believes that singing is for all and wants to foster in our children the confidence to engage in joyful singing
- Has 3 ginger cats named Lego, Roxy and Molly (and 3 chickens named Delta Dot, Duck and Henrietta)
- Like to craft and enjoys handmaking puppets and props for Tunes for Tots
- Loves to read all types of books and knows her library card number by heart
- Her first live concert was seeing Peter Combe at the Queenstown Memorial Hall in the early 90s.
Holly Geard – PE Teacher (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
- My favourite sport is swimming, I have been swimming since I was 6 months old and mum took me to water babies’ lessons. These classes encouraged my mum to become a swimming teacher and open her own swim school. From her positive influence I did my training and I have now been a qualified swimming teacher for 9 years.
- My main hobby is hiking and camping, my most recent trip being a week on Bruny Island.
- My favourite things to teach are dance and tennis, and I adapt my lessons so I can teach these subjects across Kinder to Grade 6.
- I became a teacher because I find joy is watching students learn and progress, it is rewarding for them and for me as the teacher.
- I am the eldest of 3 girls, but I am the shortest. My siblings both live in Hobart, one is an emerging Tasmanian artist with a bachelor’s degree and honours in fine arts and the other is studying to be a pharmacist.
- It is my last year being called Miss Geard (Miss G) as I marry my partner in January 2025.
Mrs Janine Gibson – Visual Art
- Has been a teacher since 1994
- Believes that art is a powerful way to express things that can’t be said using words
- Is enthusiastic about encouraging children to develop their artistic skills through the creative process
- Is a cat person who had two cats: Rosalina and Spottydot
- Enjoys scrapbooking as a way to capture memories
- Also enjoys Sudoku and Kakuro number puzzles
Hi, I am Mr Woodard and my role in the school is teaching in the Makerspace. In the Makerspace the students explore their learning in the areas of computer Coding, Robotics and Visual Art. Students from grades Prep to 6 attend the Makerspace throughout the week for 2 sessions.
In Visual Art this year, we are focusing on the human form. Students are exploring their own artistic styles through exploring line, shape and space and how this relates to the human body. They also explore how famous artists and civilisations have used the human form in the arts. Our philosophy for art in the Makerspace is that we can all create art and there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art, it is all based on individual preferences and likes. Students are encouraged to find the creativity and beauty in what each other creates as opposed to being critical and restrictive.
In the Coding and Robotics component of the Makerspace, students explore how to code computers with a focus on being a developer, a maker and a creator rather than just a user of technology. Students use a variety of apps including Swift Playgrounds and Scratch Jr. Another program students use is Tinkercad which is a 3D CAD drawing program. Students can create images in 3D with some of these creations being turned into reality through the Makerspace 3D printers. Robotics plays a big part of learning with students exploring making and programming robotics such as Lego EV3, Lego WeDo 2.0, Sphero Balls, drones and BeeBots. Through the Makerspace students also get the opportunity to interact with technology such as Makey Makey and Micro Bits.
The underlining focus of the Makerspace is based in the development vocational skill sets such as collaboration, independent learning, team skills and inquiry.